Manager Keith Hill On Saturday's Postponement

Manager Keith Hill is using Saturday’s postponement as an opportunity to give players a rest.

The players have been given an extended break since Tuesday night’s Checkatrade Trophy tie v Blackburn Rovers, and Hill believes that’s important.

Speaking after the midweek game against Rovers, he told iFollow: “The players deserve a break and I believe, and I’ve been saying this for a couple of years, that an international break should mean an international break for all the leagues.

“I think it’s important that you get the opportunity to rejuvenate and, as a manager or a coach, work on a few things. It’s a chance to give the players a little bit of mental relief as well as physical relief. There has definitely got to be a certain amount of rest.

“We’ve worked out the week and planned the training week, and I do believe that, in this situation, instead of giving players one or two days off, I prefer it to be a bit longer. We can then concentrate on a number of days training and preparation for the Oldham game, the Charlton game and then Peterborough game, as we lead into the FA Cup week.

“I think it’s important for us to forget each other’s company for a while and we’ll probably take three of four days doing that.”

Dale’s League One fixture against Wigan Athletic was called-off due to a number of Latics players being selected for international duty.